Vi hører latteren.

Hører is the present tense of å høre = to hear.

A useful pattern:

• å høre = infinitive
• hører = present tense

Norwegian does not change the present-tense verb for different persons, so you get:

• jeg hører = I hear
• du hører = you hear
• vi hører = we hear

So hører works with vi just as it does with other subjects.

Yes. Norwegian present tense often covers both the English simple present and present progressive.

So Vi hører latteren can mean:

• We hear the laughter
• We are hearing the laughter

Usually, context tells you which sounds most natural in English.

Because Norwegian usually puts the definite article at the end of the noun instead of using a separate word before it.

So:

• latter = laughter
• latteren = the laughter

That -en ending is doing the job that the does in English.

Latteren is definite, so it refers to specific laughter: the laughter that is being heard in that situation.

Latter is more indefinite or general.

Compare the idea:

• Vi hører latter. = We hear laughter. / We hear some laughter.
• Vi hører latteren. = We hear the laughter.

In Norwegian, the definite form often sounds natural when you mean a particular sound that is present in the situation.

In Bokmål, latter is a common-gender noun. Common-gender nouns normally take -en in the definite singular.

So:

• indefinite: latter
• definite singular: latteren

A neuter noun would typically take -et instead.

The basic word order here is:

• Vi = subject
• hører = verb
• latteren = object

So it follows a normal subject + verb + object pattern: Vi hører latteren.

This is the most common order in a simple statement.

For a yes/no question, Norwegian normally puts the verb before the subject:

• Vi hører latteren. = statement
• Hører vi latteren? = question

This is a very common pattern in Norwegian.

The letter ø does not have an exact English equivalent.

A rough guide:

• it is somewhat like the vowel in some pronunciations of bird or burn
• but with the lips more rounded

So hører is roughly like HUR-rer, but with rounded lips on the vowel.

A rough full-sentence approximation is: vee HUR-rer LAHT-ter-en

That is only approximate, but it can help as a starting point.

Because the base noun is latter, which is already spelled with double tt.

When the definite ending is added, the stem keeps its spelling:

• latter
• latteren

The double consonant also helps show that the vowel before it is short.

This sentence is Bokmål.

The clue is the verb form hører. In Nynorsk, you would normally see:

• Vi høyrer latteren.

So if you are studying Bokmål, Vi hører latteren is the expected form.

Then Norwegian normally uses double definiteness: a definite word before the adjective, and the definite ending on the noun.

For example:

• latteren = the laughter
• den høye latteren = the loud laughter

So even though latteren already contains the idea of the, adding an adjective usually requires den as well.